Scarred for life
by lozza1989
Summary: Riley Porter is a ten year old girl who has been deeply traumatized by her Parents death and is too scared to speak about the one who killed them. Can Bruce wayne convince her to talk? No flames, contains graphic scenes and swearing.
1. Chapter 1

The intruder

The rain could be heard coming down harder and faster than it had started, thunder rumbled in the distance and a little girl was clinging to her Father's arm.

"I'm scared dad" said the child as a flash of lightening lit up the front room. "Don't worry Riley, I'm sure it will be over soon" Her father soothed. Riley Porter was a ten-year-old girl who was an only child and she lived with her parents. Her Mother had emerged from the kitchen carrying a mug of Hot Chocolate in for Riley.

"It's getting pretty bad out there" she said as she handed the mug into Riley's hands. "Will it stop soon mommy?" Riley asked curiosly. Her mother smiled and stroked her orangy brown hair. "I'm sure it will be over soon baby" she soothed. Riley nodded and took a sip from her Hot Chocolate. Suddenly there was an almighty bang at the back door causing Riley to jump and accidenlty spill her Hot Chocolate over the rug.

"Who on earth is that?" Riley's Mother wondered as a second bang echoed through the house. "You wait here, I'm going to see who it is" and he left the front room. Riley was clearly terrified and flinched again as a third bang erupted. "Mommy, what's happening?" she asked in a scared tone. Seconds later, Riley's Father came back, looking nervous.

"It's him Trisha, he's trying to break into the house. Take Riley and run" he ordered. Trisha gave a small squeal, grabbed Riley by the hand and descended up the stairs.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Riley asked, clearly terrified. "Sssssssh, it's ok. We're just going to hide in my room" Trisha said, trying her best not to scare Riley. Suddenly there was another bang and Riley could hear her dad yell "HE'S IN THE HOUSE, RUN, RUN". Without hesitation, Trisha pulled Riley into her bedroom and shoved her into the wardrobe.

"I want you to be very quiet Riley, don't make a sound" she ordered her Daughter. Before Riley could say anything, Trisha had closed the door and could hear shouts coming from downstairs. Scared, Trisha ran to the window and opened it. If the intruder didn't come looking for her upstairs, she and Riley could escape. Riley was engulfed in Darkness but left a small gap to peer through. The little girl listened as the Bedrom door opened and Trisha let out a small gasp. Riley was hoping that it was her dad, coming to tell Trisha that everything was alright but she knew that it wasn't when the person who had entered the room ask "Going somewhere?". That voice that Riley heard was not her dad's . Where was he?.

"I'm not going anywhere" Trisha stammered. The second person chuckled. "I think you were planning on climbing out of the window wasn't you well, you're not going anywhere". Riley watched in horror as the intruder grabbed Trisha by the hair and flung her across the room. Riley was desperate to jump out and tell the person who was attacking Trisha to leave her alone but she was too scared to move. She was hoping that the mysterious Batman would show up and save both her and Trisha but instead, She listened helplesy as Trisha screamed and screamed. "STOP IT, STOP IT OR I'LL CALL MY HUSBAND" she shrieked. The other person laughed, a laugh which echoed around the room and made Riley's skin crawl. "Your husband is dead, and now it is your turn". Riley listened as Trisha screamed and screamed for a mere ten seconds until everything fell silient. The only sound that Riley could hear was the intruder's laugh. She peered through the small gap and saw him leaning over Trisha's body, laughing. About a few minutes later, he got up and not knowing that Riley was in the room, left. Riley waited until he had gone and climbed out of the wardrobe. She saw Trisha layed out across the floor and there was something odd about her face. Shaking all over, Riley moved closer to get a better look and what she saw next made her want to scream. Trisha was clearly dead and had a large rictous grin carved on her face. Riley let out a shriek and ran downstairs and into the living room where she saw her dad, who was also dead and had the same rictous grin carved on his face. Unable to look anylonger, Riley ran out into the storm and screamed.


	2. One month later

One month later

Bruce wayne stood outside Gotham city children's home talking to the manager, Mrs Simpson.

"So, this girl that you mentioned, she hasn't said anything about what happened a month ago?" he asked. Mrs Simpson shook her head. "Not since she first arrived here, the poor things been deeply traumatized by the whole ordeal" she explained as Bruce took down notes into his notebook. "Shall we go inside?" she asked. He pocketed his notebook and followed Mrs Simpson into the building.

"Can you give me some infomation about this girl?" he asked as they bothed walked down a long corridor. "Well, her name is Riley Porter, she's ten years old and basicly, she's been very troubled over the past month". Bruce nodded as he took down notes on what she was saying.

"So, is it true that her parents were killed right in front of her?" he asked. Mrs Simpson nodded. "Well, that's what we suspect as she said that she was in the house at the time, but she never gave us a detailed description". Bruce gave Mrs Simspn a confused glance and almost dropped his notebook onto the ground.

"What did she say?" he asked. "Well, all she said that she was hiding in the wardrobe in her Mum's bedroom and she watched her being attacked before being killed right there" Mrs Simspon explained in a proffesional manner.

The pair of them had walked round a corner and into a room. In the room sat Non-other than Riley. She looked as though she hadn't slept in weeks and was sat on a chair, clearly nervous about something.

"My god, has she been getting any sleep?" Bruce asked as he took a look at the girl. Mrs Simpson shook her head. "She's been having nightmares every night since she first arrived here. She'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying out". Bruce looked at Riley who didn't say anything. "Well, I'll leave you to talk with her and get some more infomation out of her" and she left, closing the door behind her.

"Are you some kind of Doctor for insane people?" Riley asked as Bruce took a seat opposite her. "What makes you say that?" he asked, not taking his eyes of the little girl.

"Well, the other kids here say that I'm insane and that Mrs Simspon was going to send out some kind of Doctor for nutters and drag me to the mental aylsum" she said. Bruce leto ut a small chuckle. "Well, I'm not a Doctor for nutters and even if I was I wouldn't drag you to some mental ayslum because you don't look like the insane type. You shouldn't listen to what those other kids tell you" he said in a reassuring tone. Riley looked uneasy for a second then asked "who are you?".

"I'm Bruce wayne" he replied. Riley looked a little impressed. "The rich man?". Bruce smiled and nodded. "Now, I'm going to ask you about the night your parents were murdered" he explained as he took out his notebook and a pencil.

"I don't wanna talk about it" Riley piped up rather quickly. Bruce gave her a reassuring look. "Why don't you wanna talk about it?" he asked. Riley leaned closer to him. "Because, if I talk about it, I'll get nightmares and I don't wanna have any more nightmares" she said in a shaky voice. "I know, but I need to know what happeed that night and then I can tell the Police department and give out some more infomation" Bruce explained but Riley was refusing to speak up.

"Come on now, you don't have to be scared" he reassured but Riley began rocking backwards and forwards. "Are you ok?" Bruce asked as she continued to rock backwards and forwards.

"I want you to leave me alone, get out" Riley mumbled. "But, we haven't finished speaking yet?" he informed, but Riley was clearly showing that she wasn't wanting to talk. "GET OUT, LEAVE ME ALONE, GET OUT" she screamed. Bruce picked up his notepad and pencil and placed them in his pocket. "Well, I understand that you don't want to talk about it now, well I'll just give you some time" and he left Riley who was now shaking and red-faced.

"How did it go?" Mrs Simpson asked. "Not good" Bruce explained "she refused to talk and she completly flipped out". Mrs Simpson looked pretty shocked.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked. "It's simple, I'll just keep trying until she's ready".


	3. A child's nightmare

a child's Nightmare

Shortly after Bruce had left the Children's home, Mrs Simpson decided that she needed a good talk with Riley about her outburst.

"Why didn't you want to talk about the night your parents died?" she asked Riley who was still sat on the chair and swinging her legs back and forth. "Because it scares me, It scared me on the night it happened and it scares me when I talk about it" Riley said then bursting tears. "Please don't make me talk about it Mrs Simpson, please". Sighing, Mrs Simpson leaned closer to Riley and held her hands.

"It's ok Riley, You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready". Riley nodded and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Is it ok if I leave, I feel like I've been in here for ages". Mrs Simpson nodded and Riley got down from her chair and headed for the exit. She walked down the corridor where she confronted one of the residents Chloe Battersby, a rough twelve year old who loved bullying the younger kids.

"Still here Porter, I thought that you'd be on your way to the nuthouse by now" she sneered. "Well actually I don't need to go to a nuthouse becasue as you can see, I'm not nuts" Riley said trying her best to act tough but Chloe just laughed and blew a bubble from her bubblegum. "Yeah, whatever. You'll soon be outta of here" and she walked away with a smug look on her face. Feeling hurt and scared, Riley slid down to the floor and cried.

Bruce paced up and down his study when Alfred, his butler came in with a cup of coffee.

"So, what did you find out about this Riley girl?" he asked as Bruce took the coffee from him. "Well, she didn't say much. All she said that her Mother was attacked and murdered right in front of her" he told the old Butler. "Did she say who did it?" he asked. Bruce shook his head. "She didn't say, she refused to talk, she just started shouting". Alfred gave him a confused look. "Well, I suppose that seeing someone murdered right in front of them tends to make them abit edgy and don't wanna talk about it. How old was this girl Nine, Ten?" he asked in a rather curios manner. "She's Ten, she's been deeply traumatized by the whole ordeal" He explained to his trustworhy companion.

"Would be ok if I put the dinner on?" Alfred asked. "Yeah, go ahead. I want a Beef and gravy pie with french fries". Alfred bowed and left the room.

That evening , Riley was busy tidying her room when Chloe came in and tipped her washbasket upside down, causing all the clothes to fall onto the ground.

"Ooops, guess you'll have to pick them all up again" and she sauntered out of the room, laughing like the bully she is. Angry, Riley turned the wash basket the right side up and began throwing the clothes in. "If I was ten years older, then I'd kick fatty Battersby out of this care home" she mumbled as she slung the dirty clothes back into the wash basket. The door opened and Riley was expecting Chloe to come barging in and mess up her room even more, but this time it was Mrs Simpson.

"Bed in half an hour Riley" she informed. Riley nodded as she placed the last remaining Jumper into the wash basket. "Good girl" said Mrs Simpson before closing the door.

Riley finished tidying her room and then climbed into bed and instantly fell aslep, that was when the Nightmare began.

She was hiding in the wardrobe in Trisha's bedroom. She could hear her mum's screaming, begging and her attacker laughing. "Please, stop it or I'll call my Husband and he'll come up here and beat the hell outta you" she screamed. "Your Husband is dead and now it is your turn". Riley tossed and turned as she heard Trisha's screams echoing through her Nightmare before waking up in a cold sweat and screaming into the night.


	4. Another victim

Another victim

Mrs Simpson came rushing into Riley's room and saw the girl sat bolt upright, shaking and sweating.

"What's the matter Riley?" she asked. "I h-had another n-n-n-nightmare" Riley said, her lips trembeling. Mrs Simpson crossed over to her bed and held the frightened little Girl in her arms. "Ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's ok, it's ok, it was only a bad dream" she soothed. Riley sniffled and flung her arms around her carer. "It was horrible, I couldn't see anything, all I heard was my mommy screaming and crying out" she explained through her sobs. Mrs Simpson stroked her hair and told her that everything was going to be ok.

"But it isn't" Riley cried "A mean person came into my house and killed my mommy and daddy. It's not ok" and she burst into hysterics. "Did you see who this Mean person was?" Mrs Simpson asked. Suddenly, Riley broke free from her grasp and said in monotone "I wanna go back to sleep now". Mrs Simpson gave the little girl a concerned look."Are you sure you want to go back to sleep?". Riley nodded without saying a word. "Fine, pleasent dreams sweety" and she got up from Riley's bed and walked out the door. Riley didn't go back to sleep, she still sat up under the covers. She clearly knew who her Parents killer was, but she was too scared to mention the killer of her parents.

Elsewhere, a young girl ranging about 18 to 20 years of age was returning home after a nightout with her friends. When she arrived at her apartment, she noticed something rather odd. Her door, which she locked before she went out looked as though it had been kicked opened.

"Damn burgalers" she muttered as she walked into her apartment. "Matt, Matt I'm home" she called . Just at that moment, a tall dark figure emerged from the hallway. "Hi, Matt I'm back" she said to the figure whom shet hought was her boyfriend. "I'm not Matt" replied the figure. The girl looked edgy and began to back away from the figure who was now moving towards her. "What, where is Matt, where is my Boyfriend?" she demanded to know. "He's dead, I killed him and now, I'm going to do the same to you" replied the figure followed by a maniacal laugh. The girl screamed and ran for the door but a gloved hand grabbed her by the wrist and flung her across the room.

"Don't think you can get away, you've got no chance" said the figure. "Please, stop it, don't hurt me" the frightened girl begged but the figure just laughed and began moving towards the girl who let out a loud piercing scream. Ten seconds later there was silience. The girl's attacker had left and the girl was now dead and she had a large grin carved on her face.

--

Sorry it's abit short, I wrote this chapter at about 11 0,clock at night and I was getting tired and couldn't write anymore. I'll try and make the next chapter longer.Bye for now folks :).


	5. Bank robbery witnesses

Bank robbery witnesses

The next morning, the young Girl's apartemnt had been sealed off and the Police where there , looking for any clues.

"So, who's the victims?" asked one of the police officers. "21 year old Matt Peterson and his 19 year old Girlfriend Georgie Benson. Both of them found this morning with abnormally large grins carved on their faces" he explained as the second Police officer took notes. "Reckon it could be the Joker's handywork?" he asked as he wrote down on his notebad.

"Well, who do you suggest it was, a Joker wannabe?". The second Police officer shook his head and stated proffesionally "I think this is far more proffesional, I suspect that this was committed by the real thing".

Riley pushed her cornflakes to the side of her bowl, looking fed up. Chloe was constantly flicking bits of breadcrumbs in her direction.

"Chloe, how many times have I told you, stop throwing bedcrumbs" Mrs Simpson barked as she approached the table. "I'm not doing anything, God you're always accusing me of everything" and in a huff, she got up from the table and stormed out. "Why is Chloe like that Mrs Simposn?" asked a girl who was only five. "Because when you get to a teenager Holly, you tend to be moody" Mrs Simpson explained. "Chloe is mean, she ripped the head of my dolly off" Holly said as she accidently knocked her orange juice all over the table.

"Well, I'll speak to her about it later" Mrs Simpson said as she wiped the orange up with a cloth. Riley didn't say anything, she was scared to tell Mrs Simpson about anything. "Riley, I see you arn't eating your breakfast, arn't you hungry?" Mrs Simpson asked. Riley shook her head. "You wanna come to the garden, it's a nice day outside" asked one of the residents, a girl called Shauna Kittson who was the same age as Riley. "Ok, I'll catch up with you, I'm just going to get my shoes from my room". Shauna nodded and headed for the front doors as Riley headed to her bedroom to retrieve her Trainers. A few minutes later, she and Shauna where sat in the garden, but Shauna was bored.

"I don't want to just sit in here, I wanna go walk around Gotham" she demanded. Having enough of sitting around, Shauna jumped to her feet. "Come on Ri, let's go". But Riley didn't budge an inch. "You know we arn't allowed to go out on our own" she said but Shauna just scoffed. "Don't me such a wimp, We'll be back before Mrs Simpson even knows we're gone". Relunctantly, Riley got to her feet and followed Shauna out of the gates and down the streets.

"Don't you just love having some time out of that dump?" Shauna asked as she skipped dwon the sidewalk as Riley followed timildy behind. Unlike Riley, Shauna was a bubbly, energectic girl who was sometimes a bad influence. "Can we go back now?" Riley complained "I'm starving". Shauna rolled her eyes in dispair and shook her head. "Bah, you think I'm going back there for lunch when we can have some lunch here, aha, food". She had pointed out to a sandwich parlour. Before Riley could say anything, Shauna had ran to the parlour. She watched in horror as Shauna stole two sandwiches and the owner began chasing after her . "BRING THOSE SANDWICHES BACK YOU LITTLE STREET URCHIN" he bellowed.Shauna grabbed Riley by the wrist and the pair of them ran down the street.

"Riley, Shauna?". Mrs Simpson was searching for the two girls during dinner, but there was no sign of them.

"Come on you two, lucnh is ready" she called. "Ahem" came a voice. "Yes, what is it Chloe?" Mrs Simpson asked. "I thought you might like to know that Shauna and Riley have run off, I saw them this morning". Mrs Simpson nearly dropped the pasta bowl with shock.

"Ha, that stupid fat sandwich shop owner couldn't even run" Shauna chuckled as she took a bite out of her sandwich. She and Riley were now sat outside Gotham city bank munching on their sandwiches. "But, I didn't ask you to steal the sandwiches, I just said that I was hungry" Riley said. "Oh stop moaning, I got you some food didn't I?". Suddenly, something had caught her attention. "Hello, what's going on here?". A car had parked itself outside the bank and a bunch of guys wearing masks all ran in.

"Oooh,looks like a bank robbery" shauna said with interest and turning around to peer in. "Look at this Ri, they've got everyone in there held at Gunpoint". Riley tunred around to peer in the window and saw that Shauna was right. "Oh, look. That one's take his mask off" Shauna said. Riley watched as one of the Robbers took of his mask. She got a glimspe of the guy's hair, it was Green. "Who in their right mind would have green hair?" Shauna asked in disbelief, but Riley didn't say a word, she was shaking all over as the Green haired guy turned around and the girls got a glimspe of his face. It was white and he had a abnormally large grin on it.

"What's he grinning at?" Shauna asked pulling a face. Unfortunatly, he had spotted the girls looking threw the window and his creepy grin grew even wider. "He's seen us" Riley muttered,tugging on Shauna's sleeve. "I can see that" Shauna said. "We should run" Riley suggested. The grinning man was now walking in their direction. "I think that's a good idea" Shauna replied. They both jumped off the bench and ran away from the bank and down the street.

"They've gone Boss, they've ran off". The Joker grinned in a very sinister manner. "Those girls have just made the biggest mistake of their lives" and he started laughing.


	6. More Nightmares

More Nightmares

Riley and Shauna where now sat in Mrs Simpson's office as she paced up and down, hands behind her back.

"In all my life have I never known two young girls who have the cheek to go outside the gates without my permission, and I thought better of you Riley Porter, it's not like you" she barked. "It wasn't her fault" Shauna piped up "I sort of forced her to come along, she didn't want anything to do with it". Mrs Simpson sighed and took her place at the desk. "Well, Shauna, I have no choice but to ground you for a week,you are to help out with the cleaning all week, Forcing poor Riley to run away when she didn't want to, shame on you shauna". Riley watched as her friend hung her head in shame. "I'm so sorry Mrs Simpson" she replied grumpily. Mrs Simpson nodded and allowed the pair of them to leave.

"You think we should tell her about the bank robery?" Riley suggested. "I think we should, but it'll be our little secret for now" and she flounced up the stairs as Riley remained rooted on the spot. She felt that she had to tell somebody about It but decided agaisnt it for now as Chloe came dancing down the hallway. "See you decided to come back Porter, I thought you'd have gone for good. Oh well, looks like I'll have to put up with you until you decide to run away for real" and she walked off. Riley hated Chloe so much, she felt like punching her, but she remembered Trisha telling her that violence doesn't solve anything when she was fighting with a girl who was bullying her at school two years ago.

Thinking about Trisha made Riley sink to her knees and burst into quiet sobs. One of the residents where passing by when they noticed her crying. It was a boy named Peter Andrews who was 14. "Are you ok?" he asked as he knelt down next to her. Riley shook her head,not looking up. "I was thinking about my parents" she replied in a muffled voice. "Lift your head up, I can't hear you" he said in a comforting voice. Riley lifted up her head to reveal her tear-stained face. "I was thinking about my parents" she repeated "and I got upset". peter sighed and put his arm around her. "It's ok, don't cry" he reassured. He took a hankerchief out of his jeans pocket and handed it to Riley.

"It was awful to watch her die" she said as she wiped her eyes. "Who?" Peter asked with a confused look on his face. "My Mommy, she was killed in front of me, I saw it all from inside her bedroom wardrobe" she explained as she drew a deep breath. "Who did it?" Peter asked. "I don't know" Riley replied "It was kinda dark and I couldn't see, all I saw was a tall man who I didn't know come into the room and killed my mommy. He didn't see me because he didn't know that I was in the room at the time". Peter nodded. "So, you didn't know who it was at all?" he asked. Riley shook her head "It was dark, I couldn't really see anything".

That night, Riley tossed and turned as she had another nightmare about that awful night. She was still in the wardrobe watching as the intruder finished off Trisha , but he didn't leave, instead he headed over to where Riley was hiding and opened the door revealing Riley's hiding place. He laughed as he made a grab for Riley who woke up screaming "No, no nooooooooooooooooooooooooo".


	7. The investigation begins

The investigation begins

27 year old Bev taylor was alone in her house. Her Boyfriend had went home ages ago so now she was left alone and was getting ready to watch a horror movie. She was just making her way into the kitchen to make some popcorn when she heard an Almighty bang which made her jump.Still rooted on the spot, she slowly turned around to see where the noise was coming from. When the second bang was heard, Bev jumped again before realising that the banging was coming from the front door. Nervously, Bev picked up a kitchen knife and slowly made her way towards the front door.

"W-w-who's there?" she stammered "I warn you, I'm armed" she said, brandishing the knife. That was when she realised that the banging noises where being caused by an Axe that was hacking it's way through the front door. "WHO ARE YOU, I'VE GOT A KNIFE" she screamed as the Axe came in contact with the door again. Bev remained petrified on the spot as the Axe made a hole big enough for a person to stick their head through.

"Who's there?" Bev asked as she raised the knife in the air. It was at that moment when The Joker stuck his head through the Axe made hole and simply replied "boo!" followed by manical Laughter. Bev gasped and turned to run but he had managed to let himself in and Grabbed Bev by the wrist as she screamed and dropped the knife.

"LET ME GO" she screamed, waving her fists as she tried to hit him on the nose.

" A little fight in ya, I like that" he chuckled before realising Bev from his grip. She turned around and saw the knife lying on the ground just a few inches away from her feet. Without thinking, she went to pick up the knife but The Joker had already got hold of it. He then backed Bev up agaisnt the wall and held the knife to her face.

"Now, let's put a smile on that pretty face" and he laughed like a maniac followed by Bev screaming into the night.

Riley hid under her covers during the night and was still there when Mrs Simpson had come to get her up for Breakfast. "Riley, Riley are you in here?" she called before noticing the small lump under the covers. "What are you hiding for?" she wondered as she pulled back to covers and saw Riley curled up in a ball. "He was after me" she replied "he found me hiding in the wardrobe". Mrs Simpson sighed and sat on the bed next to Riley. "Who was after you?" she asked. Riley shook her head. "I can't tell you, I won't tell you" she replied with a hint of fear in her voice. "Look, did you have another nightmare again last night?" Mrs Simpson asked. The little girl bit her lip and nodded. "It was the worst one I had since I first came here, My Mommy and Daddy's killer had somehow knew that I was in the room and where my hiding place was . He had found me, he saw me and was about to grab me. That's when I woke up" and she broke down into hystericals sobs. "Did you see his face?" Mrs Simpson asked, grabbing Riley by the shoulders. "No, it was dark, but I knew he was there" and she collasped onto Mrs Simpson's chest, Sobbing into her dressing gown.

A few hours later, the police had arrived at Bev's house. Her body was discovered earlier that morning by a neighbour. "So, can you describe to me what happened?" Bruce asked a young girl in her mid-teens. "I was coming home from a friends when I heard Bev screaming for about a few minutes then everything went silient. I his behind a lampost when I saw some one leaving her house". Bruce nodded as he took it all in " and you're certain it wasn't Bev?". The girl shook her head. "This person was alot taller than Bev and it wasn't a woman" she explained. Bruce patted the girl on the shoulder before turning to the Police officers. "We need to investigate the crime scene" he instructed. The Police officers nodded and began investigating the front door.

"Looks like an Axe was used to break through this door Mr Wayne" informed one of the Police officers. Bruce looked and took notes "I see, how ingenius. The intruder had used an axe to make a hole in the door" he walked up closer and stuck his hand through "then after the intruder had made the hole with the Axe, he obviously stuck his hand through the hole and unlocked the door from the inside, then he came into the house, attacked Bev Taylor then leaving her for dead" Bruce explained in a very detailed manner.

"She looked very odd when I found her, she was sort of grinning" the girl informed as she approached Bruce who gave her a confused look. "What are you saying?" he asked. "Well" said the Girl "when I found her, she had some sort of abnormally large grin carved on her face". Bruce looked shocked then he suddnely said "I have to go, I need to get some infomation out of a young girl" and he left.

Riley was in the care home gardens when she noticed Bruce wayne strolling towards her.

"Hello Riley" he said. Riley looked scared when she saw him. "What are you doing here?" Riley demanded. "Look, I know that you're scared but I need to know who killed your parents because someone else has been killed and I need you to explain to me what the killer of your parents did to them after he killed them because if your parents had died in the same way this person has died then I could track the killer, do you understand?". Riley didn't nod or shake her head, instead she gave Bruce a creepy sort of glare and said in monotone. "I already know who killed my parents, I've known all along". Bruce looked surprised and knelt down at head level with Riley. "Who, who did it Riley, who killed your parents?". Riley stared at him for a few seconds before replying "It was the Joker".


	8. Riley reveals all

Riley reveals all

Bruce looked at the young girl with a confused look on his face and asked

"Are you sure it was him?" Riley nodded and sighed "I've known all along, I was just too scared to talk about it". Gently, Bruce took her by the hand and sat her down on the wall.

"So, you're ready to talk about what happened that night?" he asked. Riley nodded and drew a deep breath.

"It was half past seven, we were sat in the front room, just the three of us and it was raining outside. Suddenly we heard a banging at the front door. My daddy knew who it was so he told me and mommy to run, so we ran upstairs and mommy told me to hide. So I hid in her bedroom wardrobe while mommy tried to find an escape route and that's when he came in" she sighed and trembled.

"The Joker?" Bruce asked. Riley nodded and continued. "He grabbed my mommy, then he started to attack her and I wanted to come out of the wardrobe, tell him to leave her alone but I was too scared I couldn't even move. After he killed her he left, didn't even know that I was there. After he had gone I climbed out of the wardrobe and my mommy was dead, she was dead "she started to sob as Bruce gave her a handkerchief.

"So that's what happened?" he asked her. The little girl nodded. "He killed my daddy too, but I only saw him kill my mommy" she said. Bruce nodded as he took it all in.

"So how come you want to talk about it now, last time we met you didn't want to talk about it" he said.

"I was too scared before but I remember my daddy saying that if you talk about something that scares you, it won't stay in your head and I didn't want to keep thinking about it so I just decided to tell someone about it" she explained as Bruce listened carefully. "But he's still out there" she piped up "killing and torturing all those innocent people and that scares me as much as what happened that night. About three people have died since the night he killed my parents". Bruce looked on as she broke into a sob. "Don't worry" he said, putting a reassuring arm around her "maybe he'll get caught one day, maybe one day it will all stop" he said in a reassuring voice.

"The nightmares have gotten worse" Riley said "last night, I dreamt the same one only this time, he knew that I was that and he came to the wardrobe, opened it and went to grab me, that's when I woke up". Bruce looked at her with a concerned look on his face.

"They are?" he asked. Riley nodded and let out a small cough. "I need to go inside now, it's almost tea time" and she jumped down from the wall and headed towards the main entrance as Bruce looked on.


	9. More innocent victims

More innocent victims

That evening, a family of four were sat in their house, watching TV when they suddenly heard a loud hammering on the front door.

"What in blazes is that?" the man grumbled. "I'm going to kill you all, suckers" replied a voice from the other side of the door followed by psychotic laughter. The woman shrieked and her two children clung to her in fright. Her husband picked up a rifle and pointed it at the front door.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US?" he demanded to know. There was no reply except for that high pitched laugh. "I WARN YOU, I'M ARMED NOW GET OUT OF IT" the man yelled. Suddenly, the door flew open, the Joker came striding in and grabbed the rifle from the terrified man.

"You should be careful with these, you could cause some damage" he said with a chuckle. "Please, just go. I've got a wife and kids here" the man begged. "Well" said the Joker in a sinister tone "let's see if they like the sound of their daddy getting shot in the brains, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" and he shot the man with his own rifle. The wife and kids screamed as he came strolling into the front room, dragging the man's corpse with him.

"What have you done to my husband?" the woman demanded to know. The Joker didn't say anything; instead he let out maniacal laugh. The little boy walked up to him and kicked him in the shin.

"You hurt my dad" the boy yelled. "Ooooh, the little kid wants to fight" the Joker chuckled as he grabbed the boy by the neck and started to choke him.

"NO" screamed the woman "LEAVE MY SON ALONE". Her daughter was sobbing hysterically. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA". He continued to laugh as the little boy started to go limp and blue. When the boy was fully dead, the Joker dropped him to the ground and began carving a rictous grin on his face. After he finished, he turned towards the woman and little girl

"So, who's next?" he asked in a menacing tone. The little girl screamed as he grabbed hold of her mother and pressed a knife to her cheek.

"Watch kid, watch as I rip your mommy into shreds" he said with a cackle. "No" the little girl sobbed. He then turned his attention to the terrified woman. "Your daughter is quite pretty, even though she won't be for long" and he began to torture the poor woman as her motionless Daughter looked on. After he had finished with the woman, the Joker's attention focused on the terrified Eight year old girl.

"Have you ever knew what if felt like to be dead?" he asked the child who trembled as she shook her head. "Hehehehehehehehe, so you don't know what death feels like. Well it's your lucky day because you are about to find out" and he advanced towards the small girl like a hungry animal. The sounds of the little girl's screams could be heard echoing through the night.

Riley felt awful the next morning, her head was throbbing and she felt woozy.

"God, what's wrong with me?" she thought as her bedroom door opened and Mrs Simpson stepped in.

"Come on Riley, time to get up" she ordered. Riley groaned and slunk back under the covers. She felt feverish and clammy. "I don't want to get up" Riley moaned "I feel awful". Mrs Simpson sighed and pulled the covers away. Riley was curled into a ball, she was sweaty and looked pale. Mrs Simpson felt her forehead and shook her head.

"I think you've got a bad case of Flu my dear. It's been going around" she told the young girl.

"Does anyone else have it?" Riley moaned. "Not yet, but I must advise you to stay in bed otherwise you could pass it on to the others". Riley nodded and drifted into a deep sleep. Mrs Simpson went down to her office, took out the morning paper and looked at the headlines which read in big bold letters JOKER KILLS FAMILY OF FOUR.

Mrs Simpson gasped as she continued to read the full story.

_A family of four was found brutally murdered last night in their house. The victims where 45 year old Harold benforshire, his 39 year old wife, April, his ten year old son, Joshua and Eight year old Daughter, Bianca . After he had murdered the family he left a message on the wall of their front room which read JOKER WAS HERE, HA HA HA. Gotham Police have identified that the message was written in the four victim's blood._

Mrs Simpson shivered as she continued to read the story.

Suddenly there was a bang as the main entrance was blasted in. "What the devil?" Mrs Simpson muttered, getting up from her chair to see what all the commotion was. When she stood outside her office, she got the most terrifying fright she had ever had. There, stood in the entrance was the Joker and a bunch of his henchmen.

"Hello, dear "he said with an evil grin.


	10. Child in peril

Child in peril

Riley was woken up by the sound of a terrified scream. Instantly she fell back onto her pillow and groaned.

"No, i'm trying to sleep" she mumbled. Then another sound made her nearly fall out of bed. A laugh, an all too familiar laugh. Shaking,she swung her legs out of bed, put on her slippers and made her way towards the bedroom door. Feeling dizzier than before, she placed a shaking hand on the door knob and slowly pulled it open. She then crossed her way over to the banister and leaned over.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU MANIAC?" Mrs Simpson screamed. She had been tied up and shoved into a cleaning cuboard. "Don't you know, well I've come to borrow two kiddies that live here, two little girls, spies" the Joker replied with a sinister grin.

"But, why do you want to take two of them?" Mrs Simpson asked nervously. He laughed and said "well they witnessed me robbing a bank and then one of my goons informed me that they live here, so I'm going to teach them a lesson about spying" and he continued to laugh as he shut the door and locked it.

"Right" he said turning to his henchmen "find those brats and bring them to me" he ordered.

Riley siliently began making her way down the staircase. She felt as though she was going to faint and her temperature was getting pretty high but she needed to hide.

When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, the first person she came across was the Joker himself.

"Ahhhhhhhh, it's one of the little spies" he said with a chuckle. Riley gasped and ran into Mrs Simpson's office. "Hey boss, we found one of them". The Joker turned around and saw two of his henchmen dragging Shauna with them.

"I don't know what your game is, but this is so stupid" Shauna yelled. "We couldn't find the other one" one of them infomred.

"Don't worry" the Joker replied "i think I know where the other one is, you deal with the feisty one and I'll find the other brat".

Riley was hid under Mrs Simpon's desk. She was lying on the floor, curled in a ball. She was starting to feel dizzy.

Suddenly the door opened and a phycotic laugh echoed through the room. "I know that there is a little girl hiding in here, come out,come out where ever you are" the Joker called out. Riley, who was still sick was on the verge of passing out but she was fighting to stay concious. "I know you're in here so why don't you just show yourself" he ordered. Riley covered her ears to bloke out his crazy laughter. She watched in horror as she saw his feet stoond inches way from her, they didn't seem to move.

"I'm going to see if the little girl is hiding under the desk, I can't find her anywhere in the room so I assume that she is hiding under the desk". She was just begining to lose the will to stay awake as he knelt down and finally noticed her under the desk.

"Ahhhhhhh, I've found you" he said to the girl who was just about to pass out. "Leave me alone" she said groggily. The last thing she saw was his evil grinning face as she finally passed out.

Sorry it's abit short, I'll try and make it longer in the next chapter. See you soon.


	11. Kidnapped kids

Kidnapped kids

A horde of police cars were outside Gotham city's children's home. Mrs Simpson had been let out of the broom cuboard by the cleaner after he'd discovered that two of the residents had gone missing.

"Who's gone?" she demanded to know. "Riley Porter and Shauna Kittson" informed the cleaner. "You think they may have been kidnapped?" asked one of the police officers. "I don't think so I know so" Mrs Simpson barked. "Do you have any idea of who took them?" asked the Officer.

"Yes. The Joker" came Mrs Simpson's replie.

Riley drifted in and out of conciousness. She tried to get her bearings but her vision was blurry. From what she could gather, she was no longer in Mrs Simpson's office any longer. She still felt awful and her head was pounding. Suddenly, she heard a door open and a pair of feet approached her.

" Do you know why you are here?" came an all too familiar voice. Riley tried to replie but she only managed a small groan. "You don't know huh, well then, let's just say that spying can lead to very unpleasent things, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha". Riley fell unconcious again. The Joker crouched down and looked at her. "Hmmmmmm, guess you ain't ready to talk yet. Looks like i'll have to get your little friend to talk,hahahahahahahahahahahaha" and he left the room that Riley was being kept in.

Shauna was being held by a two men in ninja type outfits. She was doing her best ability to fight them off.

"Get off me you fricken morons" she snapped as she tried to free herself from their grasp when the Joker came sauntering in. "Let her go boys. I think me and this young lady need a little talk" he giggled. The two men let go of her.

"You've got some nerve" Shauna spat "kidnapping two little kids. Where's Riley?". The Joker grinned and put his face close to hers. "She's taking a little nap at the moment, you can see her when she wakes up properly. Now then, you must like spying on people". Shauna looked dumbfounded and asked "what are you babbling on about?". His grin grew even wider.

"I remember seeing you and that little friend of yours spying on us when we were robbing that bank". A shocked expression grew across Shauna's face. "We wasn't spying, we just happened across by accident" she snapped.

"You little liar, I know a spyer when I see one" the Joker sneered in her face. In response, Shauna gave him a childish slap round the face.

"A little fight in ya, I like that" he replied then turning to his henchmen. "Put her in with her friend, I'll deal with them later" he ordered. The two ninja-clad men grabbed hold of Shauna and dragged her out of the room. "YOU CAN'T KEEP US HOSTAGE FOREVER, YOU'LL GET CAUGHT ONE OF THESE DAYS" she bellowed.

Riley was begining to come round again. She winched as the door flung open and a blurry figure was thrown in.

"S-shauna?" she asked weakly. The blurry figure of her friend rushed over to her and knelt down. "Riley, Ri, are you ok?" she asked."I feel awful" she replied trying to sit up.

"Lie back down, you look awful" Shauna said, gently pushing her friend back down to the floor. "Tell you something, you was well out of it when those guys carried you out of the care home" she told Riley.

"did they hurt you much?" Riley croaked. Shauna shook her head. "Not much, but I gave the Joker a good slap". Riley managed to let out a small giggle.

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked her friend.

"We'll just have to wait, but I ain't scared, I ain't scared of any of them" Shauna replied smugly. "I am, I'm very scared. I've been having nightmares about the Joker for weeks" Riley replied.

"What do you mean, what's caused all this?" Shauna asked.

"He was the one who killed my parents, and I saw it all" said Riley. Shauna's mouth fell open.


	12. the news is out

The news is out

"Is it true?" Shauna asked. Riley nodded to show her she wasn't lying. "I only saw him kill my mommy, not my daddy. He was downstairs and me and my mommy were hiding in her room" Riley explained. Shauna nodded as she took it all in. " I was hiding in the closet when he came in and attacked her, he didn't even know I was there".

"Where did you go after you found them both dead?" Shauna asked. She had gone from being feisty to soft.

"I ran out of the house and hid in a ditch, When the police found me, they bought me to the home" she continued then collasping to the ground again. Shauna rushed over to her.

"It's ok, I'm here" she reassured as she helped her sit up. She took out a hanky from her pocket and mopped it over Riley's sweaty forehead.

"I wish we was back at the care home" Riley whispered."So do I. Maybe Batman will come for us". Riley nodded and nodded off. With nothing else to do, Shauna nodded off also.

"What's the news Alfred?" Bruce asked that morning as Alfred came in carrying a news paper.

"I think you should read this sir" Alfred informed, placing the paper in front of Bruce which he read out loud.

"TERROR AT GOTHAM CHILDREN'S morning, Gotham city Children's home was thrown into turmoil when the Joker broke in and kidnapped two residents. The two victims where Riley porter and Shauna kittson, both 10 years old. The police are unsure as to why he took them but are on the search for the two missing girls. A witness said that they saw the girls being thrown into the back of a van and one actually noticed that Shauna was awake and struggling but Riley was unconcious and being carried out the Joker himself. They had no idea as to why she was unconcious. At first, witnesses asumed she could have been drugged but the owner Mrs Simpson stated that Riley had woken up with Influenza this morning which could have resulted in her passing out before she was abducted".

"What are you going to do Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.

"I think it's time to act. To the Batcave Alfred".

The girls where still locked up when a henchman came for slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head up as did Shauna.

"Ahh, you're awake good, because the boss wants to talk to you" and he roughly dragged Riley up. "You leave her alone" Shauna yelled "don't you dare hurt her".

Riley was dragged down a corridor roughly by the arm and was shoved into a room where she came face to face with the Joker. He looked at the small girl with an evil sneer.

"Hello, little girl" he said as he pulled out a switch blade and walked towards her. Riley stood, shivering in her pjamas as he grabbed her by the face.

"Come here, look at me" he snarled as she tried to pull away. She couldn't stop shaking and wanted to pass out.

"You look nervous kid,is it the scars, wanna know how I got them?" he asked. Riley shook her head. "No".

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway, you see, when I was a little kid, like you, my dad was an alcoholic and one night he comes home, more drunk than usual and he gets frustrated when I don't finish my dinner so he get's the kitchen knife and sticks it to my face. My mom tried to stop him but he killed her before turning to me with the knife and making the scars whilst saying, let's put a smile on that face". The story had creeped Riley out so badly that she yelped and pulled herself away.

"Stay away from me" she screamed as he advanced on her "don't come near me you lunatic".

"Come here" he growled as he attempted to grab her "don't make this any worse for yourself".

"You're a murderer" she shrieked.

"What was that, how do you know?" he demanded. "I saw you kill her, my mommy, I saw it all" she admitted before falling to the ground in a dead faint.

hi. Sorry it's a been a while since I last updated. I was watching the dark knight for the first time the other day and I thought about continuing this. More will be coming soon.


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